The present invention is an improvement on tapping steel from a steel making furnace with a reduced amount of slag passing through the taphole. After charging the furnace and heating, molten steel is drained, from a steel making furnace by tapping the furnace. The molten steel is typically tapped into a ladle positioned below the furnace taphole. In the furnace after heating, slag, typically molten, floats on top of the molten steel. The slag typically has chemical components and other impurities which, for quality control purposes of the steel, it is desirable to exclude from the downstream processing of the steel product. Such slag can be carried over in the flow of this steel during tapping, drawing slag and its impurities down through the taphole into the steel ladle or other receptacle. It is desirable to prevent, or at least minimize, such slag carry over during tapping. Vortex formation and slag carry over has been addressed in the past by the use of stopping the tapping process early (using electronic or other slag detection systems), post-tap skimming of the steel ladle slag, the use of slag darts or balls in the furnace taphole, and/or by the original design of a furnace, such as by having a furnace designed and constructed with an eccentric taphole to delay vortex formation. The present invention prevents, or at least reduces, slag carry over during tapping in a new and non-obvious way, and optionally also can have other beneficial effects.